Chapter 166: Auction Preview
I had informed them of the day I would bring the Dragon to the Royal Capital Adventurers Guild, so I sent the messenger back with a letter detailing a change in the handover method.
On the day of the handover, a representative from the Royal Family and someone with Spatial Storage would go to the Guild in the morning. I would enter the Guild’s Dismantling Area alone through the back entrance, hand over the Dragon in the presence of the representative and the head of dismantling, and the payment would be received as originally planned.
Even if my name becomes well-known, the pretext would be that someone with Spatial Storage magic from the Royal Family transported the Dragon to the Guild’s Dismantling Area, so even if people came to me, there would be no Dragon.
However, with things like this, it becomes necessary to devise ways to ensure everyone’s safety, or rather, to prevent them from getting caught up in any commotion.
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The Royal Capital Adventurers Guild announced that they would be holding an auction for the Long Dragon.
The participation requirements were, naturally, the ability to make a full cash payment for the bid, a participation fee of 10 Gold Coins, and a choice between taking the successfully bid Dragon as is on the day or requesting the Guild to dismantle it.
Since the Dragon couldn’t be brought into the auction hall, a viewing would be possible at the Royal Capital Adventurers Guild the day before the event, but the qualification for this viewing was also 10 Gold Coins.
If they didn’t do this, spectators might flood the Adventurers Guild, so it was a preventative measure and a way to increase revenue.
With the Royal Capital Adventurers Guild announcing a full-scale Dragon auction, the Royal Capital Langus was abuzz with excitement.
During the previous Dragon Subjugation, small amounts of meat from each Dragon were put up for auction, but only a very few were able to win the bids.
This time, it was an entire Long Dragon.
Because Dragon meat had been used for Royal Family banquets and as gifts to other countries, only tales of its deliciousness had spread, making the auction a hot topic.
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Three days after the Long Dragon auction was announced, I was picked up by a royal carriage and headed to the Royal Castle.
This time, R-san and L-san, and even Mii-chan, were not accompanying me as escorts.
Even after arriving at the Royal Castle, the carriage didn’t stop but continued on, finally halting in a vast, open area where only a wall stood.
Prime Minister Brighton and his aide stood side by side, and the men waiting behind them appeared to be the chosen Magicians.
“Ah, thank you for coming. This is Becas, the commander of the Magic Squad. Could you please share your thoughts with him?”
The sullen-faced man glanced at the Prime Minister, then looked at me and said, puffing out his chest with his hands clasped behind his back, “May I request your instructions?”
He seemed like a troublesome man, so I had them separate the offensive Magicians and Barrier Magicians.
Next, I had the Earth Magic Users and Barrier Magicians create barriers at 3-meter intervals in front of the Barrier, and then had the Fire Magic, Ice Magic, and Lightning Magic Users try to shoot through them.
I had the Earth Magic Users attack the barriers created by the Barrier Magic.
I lined up the creators of the barriers that withstood the attacks, in order, followed by those whose barriers had suffered less damage.
I had those who created barriers that didn’t break make new barriers in front of the broken ones.
Then, I had the remaining offensive Magicians attack them.
I selected those who could break the barriers and the creators of the barriers that endured.
I had them attack the barriers that didn’t break three times each, in the order of Fire, Ice, Lightning, and Earth Magic.
I lined up the creators whose barriers withstood a total of 12 consecutive attacks, in order, and had them remember the person next to them.
And I also lined up those with high offensive power who had pierced the barriers, in order.
“Prime Minister, if I may. How is this useful for Dragon Subjugation? If we line up the squad members in a single row and unleash a volley, even a Dragon wouldn’t stand a chance against our skilled Magicians, would it?”
Prime Minister Brighton looked at me with a troubled expression.
“By what right do you test us? Our kingdom’s Magic Squad is composed of elites…”
It looked like he was going to drone on, so I silenced him with King’s Pressure.
“Enough with the pompous talk. If you’re the commander of the Magic Squad, show me your strength. If you’re superior, I’ll back down without a word.”
Oh-ho, a vein is throbbing on his forehead.
“Prime Minister, as a member of an Earl’s family, I…”
“I told you, enough with the pompous talk. Try and shoot through that barrier standing there. Can’t you do it?”
I gave him a nonchalant smile.
Provoked by the verbal jab that had often ridiculed unruly Adventurers, he stomped heavily over to the barrier and stood before it. 《My guardian deity, Ains, show your power and shatter this… Hah!》 《BOOM!》
The sound was loud, but the barrier didn’t have a single scratch.
I snorted a laugh, loud enough for the commander to hear, 《Hmph,》 and shattered all the unbroken, standing barriers with a continuous barrage of Ice Lances.
To the commander, who was staring blankly, unable to comprehend what had just happened, I delivered a follow-up remark.
“At the very least, if you don’t have the strength to break a barrier that didn’t break before, you’re useless for Dragon Subjugation. Your skills are only good for fighting people; you’re worthless. Polish your skills instead of boasting about your status!”
I had the Earth Magic Users, whose faces were twitching after seeing their unbreakable barriers so easily shattered, create new targets.
However, I specified the barriers to be 20cm wide and 2m tall, and had them place a 30cm square box on top of each.
I designated the top 10 Magicians by offensive power to attack the 10 targets, which were lined up at 3-meter intervals, from a distance of 35 meters.
One person hit their target on the first shot, two hit the narrow barrier and their projectiles fell, and I shattered the remaining targets with rapid-fire Ice Lances.
To the now silent Magicians, I told them about those who had been sent to Tanza.
“Your colleagues, the top Magicians among you, were dispatched to Hyulzass, Tanza, and Klyunzass for Dragon Subjugation. Elite members were sent, especially to Tanza, but only six of them—two Barrier Magicians, two Earth Magic Users, and one Ice and one Fire Magic User each—were deemed capable of Dragon Subjugation. And that was with the support of Adventurers. You, far from being useful in a Dragon Subjugation, would only be a hindrance even if taken to a Beast hunting site, and if you fought, annihilation would be certain. I tested various things earlier, but you are far inferior to those who participated in the Dragon Subjugation. Especially you, Commander; if you can only attack from a distance of about 25 meters, you can only fight something like an Orc.”
Oh, now his face has turned bright red.
“Prime Minister Brighton, improving abilities on the training ground is important, but it would be better to thoroughly implement practical training through Beast subjugation. It will be tough if they don’t at least have the courage to face bears or tigers head-on. After that, please divide them by ability for training, using those who participated in the Dragon Subjugation as a benchmark. Also, please exclude anyone who boasts about their title from command positions.”
“Thank you. I am grateful for your instruction.”
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Two days before the auction, a carriage bearing the royal crest pulled up in front of the Adventurers Guild.
The entrance to the Dismantling Area was closed off by Guild staff, and no one could enter.
The Guild Master and Sub-Master greeted the Royal Family’s representative, and they guided the representative and the man with Spatial Storage into the Dismantling Area.
Mii-chan informed me that the royal carriage had arrived, so I entered the Dismantling Area through the back entrance, as if passing through a wall.
The back entrance, which served as the Dragon’s delivery point, was guarded by dismantling staff from the inside. They were surprised by my sudden appearance, but it seemed they had been briefed, so they were merely startled.
Seeing the representative and the Guild Master and others enter the Dismantling Area, I confirmed where to place the Dragon.
When I brought out the Long Dragon, the Tanza Guild’s share, with a thud, everyone was astonished. The Guild Master exclaimed in surprise, “You have Spatial Storage?!” but I just shrugged and didn’t answer.
The representative handed me a receipt marked ‘Long Dragon,’ so I thanked him, accepted it, and made my exit through the back entrance, as if passing through the wall.
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On the night the first Long Dragon handover was completed, rumors spread that a Dragon had been brought to the Royal Capital’s Adventurers Guild.
With that, Marks took notice of me, as I had sent a letter right after returning from Tanza and had been visited by Prime Minister Brighton.
While I was relaxing in the living room, he asked, “Are you the one behind those rumors?” I just shrugged silently.
“If anyone comes barging in wanting to see me, make them write down their business, name, and address, then tell them I’ll reply later and send them away.”
“You don’t intend to reply, do you? What will you do when they come next time?”
“Hmm, I’ll beat them back. If that doesn’t work…”
I smiled sweetly and shrugged again.
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On the day of the Dragon’s public viewing, the front of the Royal Capital Adventurers Guild was gridlocked with a long line of carriages, and they were incredibly busy, having hastily hired low-rank Adventurers to direct traffic.
The entrance to the Guild was blocked by Adventurers acting as guides, and entry with a large entourage was prohibited.
Only one attendant was permitted, and entry was allowed upon paying an entrance fee of 10 Gold Coins at the Dismantling Area entrance.
Upon entering the Dismantling Area, which was permeated by the smell of blood, ropes had been stretched around, and while entering the roped-off section was strictly forbidden, it was set up so one could freely inspect the Dragon’s condition from the perimeter.
Near the Long Dragon’s head, an Adventurer acting as an explainer stood. He was describing the Dragon, whose mouth was propped half-open with a stick, and announced in a loud voice, “This Dragon was subjugated by having Fire Magic shot into its mouth!”
To the onlookers who heard his voice and were peering into its mouth, he continued to shout, “One month after this Dragon’s auction, we plan to hold an auction for a Terrano Dragon!”
The prospective auction participants who heard this recalled the circumstances of when a Dragon had previously been transported from the Royal Castle to the Adventurers Guild, and they understood that the rumors of multiple Dragons having been subjugated were true.
According to rumors, a young Tamer who had gone out scouting from a nameless village west of Tanza had returned and lined up multiple Dragons in the village square.
The number was vague, ranging from three or four to seven or eight individuals, but the story of the Kingdom dispatching a Magic Squad for Tanza’s defense in response to the Dragon Subjugation was well-known.
After that, rumors of Dragon Subjugation continued to be heard, but the exact details remained unknown.
But now, the mention of a Terrano Dragon meant there was no doubt that multiple Dragons had indeed been subjugated.
The fact that the next auction was for a Terrano Dragon, while there was only this single Long Dragon available for now, made them consider what they should do.
Recalling the Dragons exhibited in the Dragon House, many began to mentally calculate the auction price for the Long Dragon.